Warning: getimagesize(/var/chroot/home/content/31/8614231/html/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/vht_logo_orange.png) [function.getimagesize]: failed to open stream: No such file or directory in /home/content/31/8614231/html/wordpress/vertical/wp-content/themes/bridge/title.php on line 72

Hiking in Phoenix Spring Bloom Guide

05 Apr Hiking in Phoenix Spring Bloom Guide

Hiking in Phoenix during the spring is gorgeous! There are so many plants that bloom overnight, it is an experience you don’t want to miss. Recently we hiked Mormon Trail to Hidden Valley Loop and there were hardly any blooms. Unfortunately, we didn’t get all the pictures we wanted to so we had to go back yesterday.

The entire trail looked totally different! Over the course of 2 days the desert had come to life. We took a ton of pictures of some of the common spring plants that you will find while hiking in Phoenix during the Spring.

We hope you enjoy this guide and also.. book our Hike and Photography Tour! Enjoy a hike on a Sonoran Desert trail with a photography instructor. Bring your own camera or rent one of ours. You will leave with some amazing desert images.

Hiking in Phoenix Spring Bloom Guide

Brittle Brush (Encelia farinosa )

Brittle brush is one shrub that you will find everywhere. Its the most common shrub on your Phoenix hikes. Native to Sonoran and Mojave deserts this plan grows very fast. They can reach up to 3 feet high and 4 feet wide. Brittle brush can tolerate anything above 25 degrees and can tolerate very intense heat, perfect for the desert. As an evergreen, Brittle brush is in leaf all year but bloom in the Winter and Spring. This plant attracts birds with its seeds and have no thorns.

Brittle Brush on Mormon Trail – South Mountain

Brittle Brush on Mormon Trail – South Mountain

Globe Mallow (Sphaeralcea ambigua)

Globe Mallow is a perennial native to the Sonoran Desert. These resilient plant is shaped like a rounded shrub and can survive in temperatures from 5 degrees and up. To live it requires full sun and as a result can grow very fast, up to 3 feet tall and 3 feet wide. As an Evergreen it has a gray/green color and a coarse texture. Its flowers bloom in spring and can be orange, white, pink or lavender. Be careful when touching while hiking in Phoenix, it has no thorns but can irritate skin and eyes.

Globe Mallow on Mormon Trail – South Mountain

Globe Mallow on Mormon Trail – South Mountain

Globe Mallow on Mormon Trail – South Mountain

Ocotillo (Fouquieria splendens)

The Ocotillo is a succulent native to Sonoran, Chihuahuan, and Mojave deserts This plan grows very slow in a strong vertical form. it can reach 12 feet high high and 10 feet wide. This plant needs full sun and little water. It has a coarse texture. In the spring it blooms red to orange clusters of flowers. Ocotillos also have a very strong vertical appearance that can be striking to the eye. This plant is also known to attract hummingbirds.

Ocotillo on Mormon Trail – South Mountain

Engelmann’s Hedgehog (Echinocereus engelmannii)

Native to Sonoran Desert the Englemann’s Hedgehog cacti needs full sun and little water to survive. This slow growing cacti can get up to 1 feet tall and 2 feet wide. You can recognize an Engelmann by its clump like formation, medium green color and brown spikes. In the spring it really shows off! Expect to see vibrant magenta blooms and long thorns.

Engelmann’s Hedgehog on Morman Trail – South Mountain

Engelmann’s Hedgehog on Morman Trail – South Mountain

Desert Lichen Crust

Plants are not the only thing that you will see blooming while hiking in Phoenix. There are also coloring coatings on rocks created by lichens. This symbiotic relationship between algae and fungi results in brilliant shades of green, red, orange and yellow.

Desert Lichen Crust on Mormon Trail – South Mountain

[box color=black]Capture your own desert photo! Ready to go on a photography hike? Contact Vertical Hiking Tours today. Our guided hikes are one of a kind and include a CPR and First Aid Certified hiking guide, fun activities, backpack with built in chair and cooler, cold water and healthy snacks. For more information book a photography hike today or contact us at 1-602-696-7349 or info@verticalhikingtours.com.[/box]